Summary This position serves as a senior technical expert in fire and aviation management located with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo Region, Branch of Fire Management, Duty Station in Fort Defiance, Arizona; and will be filled from Standard PD No. FDI0234. NOTE: This position is being re-advertised to solicit additional applications. Applicants who previously applied, need not reapply unless you are submitting updated and/or missing information Responsibilities Serve as an Assistant Fire Management Officer, assisting in all phases of the fire management program, providing short and long-range fire management planning, program direction and coordination, and evaluation of the fire management program. Lead and manage all operational fire, prescribed fire and fuels, fire ecology, fire information, planning, and administration. Ensures that the fire management program is in compliance with environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Develops and reviews fire prevention plans. Ensure that all phases of fire management planning are completed. Monitors fire season severity predictions, fire behavior, and fire activity levels, and takes appropriate action. Plans work to be accomplished by subordinates, set and adjust short-term priorities, and prepares schedules for completion of work. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: (OPM Operating Manual, Qualification Standards for Professional and Scientific Positions, Individual Occupational Requirements for GS-401: General Natural Resources Management and Biological Science Series) BASIC REQUIREMENT FOR GS-0401: A. Degree (bachelor's or higher) in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resources management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.-OR- B. Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in biological sciences, agriculture or natural resources management, or at least 24 semester hours in biological sciences, natural resources, wildland fire management, forestry, or agriculture equivalent to a major field of study, plus appropriate experience or additional education that is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in the biological sciences, agriculture, or natural resources, PLUS appropriate experience or additional course work. The quality of the combination must demonstrate that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the work of the position and is comparable to that normally acquired through the completion of a full four-year course of study with a major as described above. IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT FOR THE GS-0401 SERIES, APPLICANTS MUST ALSO HAVE THE FOLLOWING: GS-12: 1 year of creditable specialized wildland fire management experience or the equivalent, comparable to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal Service (obtained in either the public or private sector) that includes work experience in fire suppression, prescribed fire, and aviation management. In addition, experience must include Fire Program Management elements such as described below: Developing, reviewing and evaluating fire management plans for ecological soundness, or consistency with land management goals and/or potentially adverse impacts to cultural and natural resources; Conducting field inspections before and after prescribed or wildfires to determine if resource objectives were achieved and/or to evaluate the effectiveness of actions taken; and, Analyzing the ecological role of fire and its use and/or exclusion, and smoke management. In addition to the Fire Program Management elements listed above, appropriate experience must have included EITHER prescribed fire/fuels management -OR- fire management operations as described below: Prescribed fire/fuels management: Examples of this type of experience may include: Professional forest or range inventory methods and procedures (e.g., Brown's planar intercepts for dead and down fuels; live fuel loading assessments); Analysis of fuel loadings and determination of appropriate fuel treatment methods (i.e. prescribed fire, mechanical, chemical, or biological treatments); Land use planning and environmental compliance; Evaluation of prescribed burn plans or fire management plans to ensure fire containment is possible and identification of appropriate suppression contingencies if fire containment is not obtained. Fire management operations: Experience in analyzing and/or applying fire management strategies in at least five of the following activities: Mobilization and/or dispatch coordination Fire prevention and education Training Logistics Equipment development and deployment Fire communication systems Suppression and preparedness Aviation SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTORS: These are MANDATORY qualification prerequisites to qualify for this position, therefore, the applicant must have possessed the following to be considered eligible for this position: Prior Wildland Firefighting Experience: This position requires a minimum of 90 days previous wildland firefighting experience which provided knowledge of the techniques, policies, and practices of wildland fire management. Wildland fires are categorized into two distinct types: 1) Wildfires - unplanned ignitions or prescribed fires that are declared wildfires; 2) Prescribed Fires - Planned ignitions. This description includes only fireline experience on a Prescribed Fire; it does not include experience in the planning stages NOTE: Selective factors are knowledges, skills, abilities, or special qualifications that are in addition to the minimum requirements in a qualification standard but are determined to be essential to perform the duties and responsibilities of the position. Applicants who do not meet the selective factors are ineligible for further consideration . FIREFIGHTER RETIREMENT COVERAGE: This position is covered under the secondary/administrative firefighter special retirement provisions of 5 U.S.C. 8336(c)(CSRS) and 5 U.S.C. 8412(d)(FERS) when it is filled by an incumbent who transfers directly from a primary or another secondary law enforcement or firefighting position with no break in service to this position. Firefighter retirement coverage of the incumbent will depend upon his or her individual work history. You may meet the qualification requirements, but not be eligible for special retirement coverage. If you are not eligible for special retirement coverage, you will be placed in the regular retirement system. Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur in the same location within 90 days from the closing date. Education If you are qualifying based on your education, you MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement. If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society. One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education which shows the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: FOREIGN EDUCATION Additional Information This announcement will be used to fill vacancies utilizing the Direct-Hire Authority (5CFR 337.201). Category rating, veteran's preference, and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do NOT apply for this vacancy. Indian Preference Policy: Preference in filling vacancies is given to qualified Indian candidates in accordance with the Indian Preference Act of 1934 (Title 25, USC Section 472). Verification form BIA-4432 must be submitted with the application if claiming Indian Preference. No other documents will be accepted as proof of Indian Preference. All new hires earn the beginning salary of their pay grade (Step 1). See 2023 Salary Tables and select the pay chart for Fort Defiance, Arizona. If no specific chart is listed for this geographic location, see the "rest of U.S." chart. This is a supervisory position. Under provision of the Civil Service Reform Act, first-time supervisors are required to serve a one year supervisory probationary period before their appointment becomes final. Those who do not satisfactorily complete this probationary period will be returned to positions of no lower grade and pay than those they occupied before assuming their supervisory assignment. TRAVEL AND RELOCATION EXPENSES WILL NOT BE AUTHORIZED. ANY RELOCATION EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH REPORTING FOR DUTY WILL BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SELECTED EMPLOYEE. TELEWORK: Indian Affairs has determined that the duties of the position are suitable for SITUATIONAL telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval. This position has been designated as an Incidental Operator under the Indian Affairs Motor Vehicle Safety Program and requires the incumbent to operate a motor vehicle in order to properly carry out his/her assigned duties but whose principal duties are not operating a motor vehicle and his/her position is not classified as a motor vehicle operator. The incumbent will be required initially and annually to acknowledge and certify possession of a valid state driver's license. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) OR Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) Programs provides placement assistance to permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF50 noting position, grade level, duty location with their application. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, applicants must be qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp